#MCTech3 | Meesho mints millionaires; Deconstructing an AI data centre; and more

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In today’s newsletter: 

• The Meesho millionaires 
• VCs catch baby fever 
• Inside India's AI data centres: jobs, power and more

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The Meesho millionaires

Meesho may sell affordability, but the IPO has priced its founders’ holdings at levels few can afford to imagine.

Stake shock: The IPO’s valuation math turned early cheque sizes into eye-watering paper fortunes.

• CEO Vidit Aatrey’s 11.1% stake, acquired at just Rs 0.06 a share, is now valued at Rs 5,245 crore at the top end of the price band.
• CTO Sanjeev Barnwal’s 7.41% stake, bought at Rs 0.02 a share is now worth Rs 3,504 crore.

Early backers Elevation, Peak XV and YC Continuity sit on multibagger mark-ups, with YC’s stake rising over 100x.

Playbook steady: Meesho’s founders, however, told us in an interview that a blockbuster listing won’t rewrite the company’s operating compass.

“Nothing changes after going public,” says Vidit Aatrey, emphasising discipline in mission over market optics.

He added that Meesho still operates with a “startup attitude” moving fast, taking bold bets and refusing to think it has “arrived.”

• The team insists it isn’t benchmarking against rivals staying anchored to affordability and mass-market demand.

Disciplined drive: The founders reiterate that affordability stays the north star as Meesho enters public markets.

“Most of India cares about affordability far more than convenience,” Aatrey said, defending Meesho’s value-commerce thesis against fast-growing quick commerce players.

OFS was trimmed by nearly 40%, with early shareholders choosing to hold rather than cash out.

• Ad-tech and logistics remain the big future profit pools, while AI-led automation is already cutting costs and lifting efficiency.

Read the full interview 

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